Friday, December 31, 2010

Embroidery- The Joyful Art

It is one of my strongest personal beliefs that anyone who does embroidery can never be a bad person. The art of embroidery is so subtle, so passionate that anyone who indulges in it has to be someone with a lot of perseverance and of course a very good heart. The patience that the art requires is commendable and anyone who has that much of patience is truly to be appreciated.

Embroidery is also an art that projects joy and happiness. Most often the colors chosen for free embroidery and the embroidery designs are utterly delightful and a pure source of joy. Embroidery is hence one of the most joyful arts. The way the thread works with the fabric to make something of sheer beauty is just amazing. If seen separately, thread and fabric are just two simple objects not of much interest and use. But when worked with the love and care that embroidery requires, they can turn out to be beautiful objects that are loved and desired by all.

Another thing about embroidery that makes it so endearing is the way it can be used for any number of purposes. Embroidery can be put to use for clothes like sweaters, socks, jackets, shirts, gloves, mufflers, etc, for home décor stuff like dining sheets, table mats, tea cozies, bed sheets and much more. The versatility of embroidery makes it all the more fun. This allows for limitless experimentation and you can mix and match designs and styles. Colors and fabrics can be experimented with each other and you may come out with something that is absolutely new and amazing.

Embroidery is one of the most ancient arts spread across a number of cultures. Most of the ancient civilizations have their own specific styles of embroidery that are still popular and are widely used. Thus embroidery designs is a joyful art that fills your life with color and vibrancy.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Embroidery Designs

Embroidery has been one of the most favorite hobbies of women in all times and on all continents. The endearing beauty of an embroidered piece is hard not to love. The tenderness and care that goes into creating embroidery makes it very dear to the creator and everyone who sees it. Embroidery can beautify almost any item. Whether it is on clothing or household items, a little added color is always appreciated and stylish.

Embroidery designs can be used to add beauty to almost anything. A tea-cozy can look great with small little flowers or fruit embroidery on it or a design of a small vintage kettle on it. You can similarly use a lot of embroidery designs on table cloths, table mats, wall hangings, dining table covers, bed covers, cushion covers, pillow cases, etc. All you need is a little creativity and a lot of passion! Embroidery designs can enliven almost any garment. You can work wonders with cute little designs on your little daughter or granddaughter’s frocks, blouses or socks. Or put embroidery designs of planes, trains, puppies, etc. on your little son or grandson’s overalls or t-shirt and suddenly, an ordinary piece of clothing has become a loving work of art! There is a whole new world that can be explored and expressed through embroidery threads.

You can use embroidery designs in a number of ways to beautify your home. Stitch elegant initials on the corner of a handkerchief, napkin or muffler to give as a gift. This is a great way to personalize the object and it also reminds that person of you wherever they go. There are innumerable options when it comes to embroidery. You can choose from so many colors and types of embroidery threads and fabrics. Your creativity will soar as you let your mind imagine combinations of different styles of embroidery and you are sure to come out with something new and innovative as you explore the possibilities.

Embroidery today has become a lot easier with the availability of machine embroidery designs online. A number of sites bring a huge variety of machine embroidery designs right to your fingertips. You can get help on these sites and come up with some amazing ideas using embroidery designs. When you combine these designs with your creativity and diligence, you can create some truly beautiful masterpieces, individual and unique as each of us are.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Add Machine Embroidery Designs to your Outfit

In the world of fashion, one of the best ways to transform an outfit into something spectacular is by adding embroidery designs to it. While our grandmothers painstakingly applied each stitch by hand, we have the benefit of having the art of machine embroidery designs at the tips of our fingers. The effect produced is as varied as the many professional designers out there. There’s a wide spectrum of available types of machine embroidery. Some machine embroidery is created to have a vintage or hand sewn look. Some of the most prominent are commonly referred to as redwork (but they can be stitched in any color). These are usually the most simple to produce.

Another benefit of machine embroidery is that if you enjoy appliqué designs but don’t like the work of applying it by hand or with your basic sewing machine, you can find appliqué designs already programmed and created for you. Think of little Johnny’s adorable tee-shirt with a multi-layered design of cars and trucks. This technique combines application of fabric with that of stitched out designs, so the body of the truck may be made of fabric (applied by the embroidery machine), and the wheels stitched with thread.

There are countless other styles and types of machine embroidery to choose from…from elegant to whimsical and everything in between. Most online designers offer free embroidery designs to try out something new and if you like it, there are more to match the set.

Whether you are a beginner or seasoned pro at the wonderful world of machine embroidery, you will be able to find a myriad of free embroidery and machine embroidery for purchase.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Crisp Leaves, Hot Coffee and Embroidery

Winter approaching is always a beautiful time of year. As the crisp cool air swirls around us, warm scarves and mittens find their way out of the seasonal cupboards and forgotten closet corner. Suddenly, we need to bundle up with something warm and cozy. There are many great fabric fibers that provide warmth, especially wool. Sweaters and cardigans, mufflers and mittens, socks and caps are all so colorful, stylish and beautiful. As the frost, fog and snow take hold outside, we find comfort and enjoyment in activities at home. It’s the best time of year to sew and embroider. The holidays are quickly approaching and it’s a great time to start on our gift list. We can put the time to best use by taking to embroidery and creating something new and wonderful this season.

Embroidery can improve any winter garment. A muffler for example can be made extremely beautiful and stylish by adding a few leaves, snowflakes or flowers to it. Or you can sew a pocket on the muffler near the end and use an embroidered patch on the pocket. You can choose bright colors to compliment more neutral colors or vice versa, both are equally beautiful. It is great fun to decorate socks with embroidery. You can use small embroidery designs on the ankles. Create your own unique style by personalizing your socks, scarves, mittens, mufflers and hats with machine embroidery designs.

Your sweaters can be made much more colorful and lively with just a little bit of embroidery. Embroidery designs of various sizes and colors can be used to make a boring knitted sweater fun and stylish. If it is not possible to do the embroidery directly on the garment, you can use machine embroidery design as patches.

There are many embroidery designs that are perfect for Fall and Winter home décor. A table runner or table cloth can dress up a holiday table, creating a festive mood. Holiday towels decorated with embroidery give your kitchen and bathroom a fun, holiday feel. Christmas tree skirts, warm lap quilts, “welcome” door decorations and wall mini-quilts give your home a cozy, old-fashioned atmosphere. And embroidery gives all of these things that special touch that turns ordinary items into heirlooms you can pass on through generations to come. With a little extra work (that is more fun than work) all of your clothing, accessories and decor will become much more attractive. Embroidery gives all our garments and home decorations that extra sparkle which creates one of a kind inspiring beauty, for this Winter season and beyond.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Embroidery- A Gift from Grandmother

Sweet reminisces of childhood brings the memories of home baked cookies, of puppies playing in the backyard, of frilly frocks and long walks. Childhood is beyond doubt the most innocent time of our life. And blessed are those who have had the lucky chance to share this beautiful bit of their life with their grandparents. Through our Grannies and Grampas we get a glimpse of that bygone innocent era that held everything that was pure and beautiful.

The most cherished memories of childhood are comprised of little, minute details that so often get lost in the maze of the complicated life we create for ourselves. My most treasured memories of childhood are of me sitting beside my Grandma and watch her do her embroidery . In the dusk of her life her embroidery was her refuge and her embroidery designs were her cohort. It was a sort of tradition that twice a year she used to embroider beautiful articles exclusively for grandfather. In honor of him, this tradition continued and he kept living on in her designs and colors.

With decades of experience and hoards of passion she fervently took to embroidery and started creating small miracles with needle and threads. Hand embroidery had always been pleasurable, but at the advent of machine embroidery, a whole new world was opened for her. Machine embroidery offered much more variety and ease. There was now a scope for ample experimentation. Machine embroidery designs were more vibrant and quick and were much more fun to work with. This passion passed on from my dear Grandma was inherited by my Mother and now by me.

My most prized possessions include hand embroidered artifacts from my Grandmother and Mother. And now that this hobby that has been imbibed in me, I make the most out of it. I play around with colors, fabrics and designs and availability of designs online make it all the more pleasurable. There are a number of sites and online clubs that bring you a good variety of designs and ideas for embroidery. You can log in at anytime and browse through all the wonderful designs they offer. What’s more, you can even upload your own designs and share with other embroidery lovers.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Embroidery

Embroidery is like watching the stars. You can create anything out of your fancy. Every resource is at your disposal and it’s up to you what you make. Like a million stars in the galaxy, embroidery designs are countless. The passion for embroidery seeps in us like a plant absorbing water, to nurture it. Embroidery becomes a mode to express our thoughts, our ideas and our feelings. It is just not a hobby or a way to spend your idle time; it is much more than that. When the thread goes into needle, and goes through your chosen fabric it creates a magic beyond anything expressible in words. We don’t give it much thought, but is no less than magic how a thread, a needle and a cloth come together to create something so beautiful and colorful and delightful. Kept separate these three are any other ordinary objects of ordinary life. As soon as they interweave, they create finesse. As very intelligently said by W. G. Paulson Townsend, Embroidery is a very personal art, its charm lies in the individuality expressed by the worker. It holds in itself the calm and comfort of a rocking chair in the nursery. It becomes a fine recluse from the busy and fast paced world of today. The embroidery on the fabric collects in itself the wandering, scattering thoughts. It becomes a tree where the fluttering humming birds of thoughts take shelter. Embroidery and embroidery designs hold in them the very basic philosophy of life. A rose comes by and by with the patient labor of the needle and the thread. Similarly life is progresses with one stitch at a time, patiently, and the ultimate pattern reveals itself finally when the right time comes. Your labors of love will speak for themselves.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Best Out Of Threads

Embroidery is a beautiful art. An art that is lively and colorful yet patient and calm. A woman can find a whole new world in her embroidery. A person who loves embroidery will always look for ways and means to get the best out of the thread and fabric at their disposal. Although there is no one sure shot solution to produce a beautiful piece of embroidery, one can always take care of small details here and there, which will beautify their work.

For one, you can choose the base fabric that will enhance your embroidery. The fabric should be so that it should bring out the design in the best possible way. Hand painted and hand dyed fabrics make for really good background fabrics. Fabrics that are colored in a slightly mottled way also are a good option. Embroidery patterns that take a lot of time should be done on a fabric that is strong and durable. Cotton, linen, silk and wool are the conventional fabrics for embroidery though now many synthetic blends are also available that are also turning out to be good options.

Another point to take into consideration is that if you are making a garment out of the embroidered fabric, it is best to finish most of the embroidery before you sew the garment. This will free you from the inconvenience of embroidering on a stitched garment. Care should be taken to leave ample space for the seams and stitches when marking placement for the embroidery design. You can use a fabric pen to draw the embroidery pattern on the fabric, keeping in mind the edges and loose ends.

You should also choose the threads carefully. The market is full of embroidery threads with different characteristics, which each have their own advantages. The threads available now are colorfast and strong and also come in many beautiful colors. The multiple choices available in colors and types of threads allow for a lot of experimentation. It is very important to keep your threads and fabric neat and clean to bring out the best of your embroidery. Always make sure that your hands are clean before you touch your materials. Do not pass on the work to too many hands unnecessarily. Keep your work area free of debris and dust. Keeping these few things in mind can make a huge difference in the quality of your embroidery and sewing.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Tools for Designing

Embroidery is the love of designs and colors. Coupled with the right aesthetics and there you have that perfect design that flashed in your thoughts. Love for embroidering becomes a lot more appealing with sewing machines. Sewing machines considerably reduce the effort that goes into the art and also comes up with excellent results which at times hand embroidery cannot yield. Blessed be the technology that came up with such a tool to make this lovely art all the more fun.

If you really love the threads and the beautiful patterns they create, what you need is a sewing machine. Since many years people have been using manual sewing machines. With the progress of technology they have lost their place to computerized sewing machines. The latter comes with definite advantages. It is simple to use and can create much more complex designs that can be done with the manual ones. Machines definitely add perfection and beauty to anything that you stitch or sew.

Before you decide to buy a sewing machine for yourself, you need to know the types of machines that are available and choose accordingly. Sewing machines are available from a range of $300 to about $8000 depending on the features the machine carries. You can choose an only embroidery machine that will help you with the basic stitches and most of your embroidery designs. But if you want more then there are machines that offer you many features combined together. The choice of your machine also depends on the scale of your embroidery. If you sew and embroider as a hobby, you can opt for a low or medium budget machine that will help you with the basics. But if you take up embroidery as a profession, then you need a better machine that works for many kinds of stitches and is multipurpose. They might be a little expensive, but they sure are good investments as they perform all your functions of embroidery and stitching all together.

Computerized sewing machines are a great way to work on highly complex and complicated designs. They work with extreme precision and convenience and give you extra neat and beautiful results. Embroidery sewing machines are a must have as they can create textile art and embellishments on fabric that are extremely attractive and appealing. The machines can be used for built in stitching or you can manually create your designs with these machines. Computerized embroidery sewing machines often come with a special software program that gives you several digitized beautiful designs that can be automatically read and embroidered directly unto the material by the machine. So, there will be less hassle for you and you will definitely save time by going with embroidery sewing machines.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Machine Embroidered Designs- Thoughts in threads

Technically Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. But to a woman or any embroidery lover it is much more than that. Embroidery for a woman is the expression of her personality; it is the embodiment of her thoughts. She not only uses the fabric and embroidery designs to make it into some adorable creation but for her it is the canvas to give color and shape to her fancies.

Designs speak, trust me they do. The initials you sew on your lover’s muffler spell love. The kitten covered mittens speak of the tenderness of the mother. Embroidery designs can be as soft as the baby’s skin and as expressive as a lover’s kiss. The right design embroidered on the right fabric in the right colors can create beauty beyond words. The magic of woman’s heart can never be better expressed than on a fabric in form of threads. Colors, designs, sequins, threads, wool, silk, brocade, cotton, zari, satin, laces, beads, linen, these are just not materials, these are the flowers in a garden, a woman chooses in the right combination’s to make that perfect bouquet. As an expression of thoughts and feelings, embroidery serves to be a perfect platform. It serves to unleash the creativity, to vent sentiments, and a tool for creation. Designs embroidered on different objects make great gifts. Not only they are usable but they also are personalized.

Different patterns and designs help in creating different effects. Initials of a name made into monogrammed embroidery look good on handkerchiefs, mufflers, and robes etc. Floral designs are good for tea-cozies, table runners, table covers, table mats, towels etc. Geometric designs work well on cardigans, tee-shirts, etc. Whatever the design or fabric may be, what matters is the feeling and care that goes into the work. But when a person has enough patience to sew a scene on a fabric, they must have the most amiable heart. Time is under heavy constraints these days. With long working hours, one can hardly find time to sit and sew. But with the advent of machine embroidery on the internet, time is no longer a hindrance. One can get as many designs on various sites and can easily get the work done according to their convenience.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Embroidery

Embroidery creativity is as expansive and endless as the stars. You can create anything out of your imagination. Every resource is at your disposal and it’s up to you to choose which embroidery designs you use and what you stitch them on. Like a million stars in the galaxy, embroidery designs are countless. The passion for embroidery may start out as a passing fancy, but the love of designing and the desire to create through the art of embroidery seeps in you. You are like a plant absorbing nutrients and life-giving water. You become nurtured by your creativity until embroidery becomes a wonderfully enriching part of your life.
To Read the Complete Article Click Here

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Machine Embroidered Designs- Thoughts in threads

Technically Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. But to a woman or any embroidery lover it is much more than that. Embroidery for a woman is the expression of her personality; it is the embodiment of her thoughts. She not only uses the fabric and embroidery designs to make it into some adorable creation but for her it is the canvas to give color and shape to her fancies.


Designs speak, trust me they do. The initials you sew on your lover’s muffler spell love. The kitten covered mittens speak of the tenderness of the mother. Embroidery designs can be as soft as the baby’s skin and as expressive as a lover’s kiss. The right design embroidered on the right fabric in the right colors can create beauty beyond words. The magic of woman’s heart can never be better expressed than on a fabric in form of threads. Colors, designs, sequins, threads, wool, silk, brocade, cotton, zari, satin, laces, beads, linen, these are just not materials, these are the flowers in a garden, a woman chooses in the right combination’s to make that perfect bouquet. As an expression of thoughts and feelings, embroidery serves to be a perfect platform. It serves to unleash the creativity, to vent sentiments, and a tool for creation. Designs embroidered on different objects make great gifts. Not only they are usable but they also are personalized.


Different patterns and designs help in creating different effects. Initials of a name made into monogrammed embroidery look good on handkerchiefs, mufflers, and robes etc. Floral designs are good for tea-cozies, table runners, table covers, table mats, towels etc. Geometric designs work well on cardigans, tee-shirts, etc. Whatever the design or fabric may be, what matters is the feeling and care that goes into the work. But when a person has enough patience to sew a scene on a fabric, they must have the most amiable heart. Time is under heavy constraints these days. With long working hours, one can hardly find time to sit and sew. But with the advent of machine embroidery on the internet, time is no longer a hindrance. One can get as many designs on various sites and can easily get the work done according to their convenience.

About the Author: -
World’s largest selection of Embroidery Designs available at OPW Embroidery Design Gallery. An online one stop gallery for best quality embroidery designs. We have professional embroidery designers at OPW Mall experts in providing high quality embroidery designs, supplies and services

Saturday, April 24, 2010

We All Love SALES


We all love sales. And that's why we know you're going to love this. We are having a 75% off sale right now. You already missed one day, and it ends tomorrow. So jump at it or you will miss a good chance at finding cute designs for way less than normal.

There are a lot of good machine embroidery designs for sale at great prices.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Did someone say Chocolate?

I just ended an agonizingly LOOOOONNNNNNGGGG break from chocolate. What happened is that I pestered my husband to take a break from soda for months (maybe even years), and finally, out of desperation, I said I'd even stop eating chocolate if he stopped drinking soda. He still wouldn't budge! I thought for sure he'd just love watching me suffer.

So finally, a few months after I said that, his friend came up to him and said, "Come on dude, let's you and me drink water and drink water only! We'll do it together...I know you can do it!!!!" Now you are talking about a person who has not allowed any plain water to pass through his lips for probably 3 years...And you know what he did? After saying no to me for years, he gave in on the spot! It was only later that our nosy son reminded him that I had said I'd stop eating chocolate if he went off of soda. (Thanks, J...you know who you are!)

Well, I tried to talk my way out of it, saying he had made the deal with his friend, not with me....but no one would leave me alone, and there I was, stuck without chocolate for a full 2 months. I was secretly happy that he had put a time limit on the challenge, even though I told him he shouldn't have. Yesterday was the last day of it! The amazing thing is, it didn't kill me. And actually, I didn't miss it nearly as much as I thought I would.

After I eat this solid Dove Bunny from Easter that I've been saving, I think I will again stop eating chocolate ...(Okay, who am I kidding, anyway?)

In celebration of all things sweet and terrible for the waist, I think this is the perfect embroidery design set to stitch out. For the sweet tooth in us all! Designs By JuJu is designer of the week right now and she has an amazing sale going on. Buy 1 set and get 3 more entire sets!! If you buy 2, you get 7 more and so on!!! That's almost giving them away.

These are pretty Yummy Too by Bunny Cup. She's got almost as good of a sale going. It's buy 1 get 2 more for a penny!!

I just found these Sparkling Sweet Treats by Linnie Pinnie that look really cute too. They are stitched with metallic thread accents.

I just wanted to point out a couple of sets from our vast embroidery design gallery to you today. Since there are so many embroidery designs to choose from, it can make your head swim!

Again, don't forget that we carry Embroidery Supplies as well, and we are expanding all of the time. We just got a huge shipment of Mulberry Paper in, and it's really fun to stitch on also!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Calendars! Get me Organized!!

We decided to celebrate our 6 year old's birthday by munching pizza, cake and ice cream with friends. We filled the whole back half of the restaurant and kids were everywhere! It was fun to see her face light up, when just a few moments before, she had started getting teary eyed thinking that we drove all the way to town, for her to sit in the car and wait for mom and all her stops! I was trying to keep the party a secret, so she thought I wasn't going to let her out of the car. Among several nice gifts, she got a little stuffed cheetah that gives her access to a website where the cyber rendition of her cheetah can play games, exercise and have a generally good time in cyberspace. Her older brother and sister were given one in the past, and this was the next best thing to heaven in her eyes!

Before I go on, I have to say that the children and I are reading a book called "The Book of Three" and there's a strange animal in the story that is always saying things like, "Does my lord have munchings and crunchings??" and now I can't say the word munching without thinking of him and his curious ways....His name is Gurgi. Oh, sorry....I got off track.

I didn't have any time to sew or embroider today. Well, I say that as if I usually do have (or make) the time LOL (only in my dreams)...

If I HAD been able to stitch some embroidery designs, of all the embroidery designs gallery we have available, I was in the mood to make an embroidered calendar...I know, may sound strange, but I have been a little disfunctional where scheduling is concerned and I need all the help I can get!

Don't tell too many people, but I haven't even purchased a calendar yet this year and it's already April! I rely on the computer calendar too much. Machine embroidery would be much more long lasting though, don't you think? I think this calendar would make a nice gift too. I'll list a few others that I found with a simple search:

Design Stash 20% off
Camela's Corner Buy 1 Get 1
Sunshine Embroidery (This one is for 2007, but you could change it to accommodate)
Heather's Home This is handstitch look 50% off right now!!!
Heather's Home also has a set called Calendar Children which is really cute.
StarLlight Dream's JJ Calendar Girls and these one's in the hoop. Buy 1 Get 1

Well, I have to get to bed so that I have plenty of energy for our homeschooling co-op tomorrow.
Hope everyone has a good night sleep, and remember to visit us for great Embroidery supplies!

Where YOU are always # 1

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Did someone say Rhinestones?

Did you know that we have Embroidery Supplies at Oregonpatchworks?

People often miss them because of the 100,000 of machine embroidery designs.
But to tell you the truth, we are increasing our embroidery supply stock all the time, so keep a look out for great new products!


  • Today, I'd like to tell you about our rhinestones section. Among other types of embellishments, we carry 4mm hotfix Swarovski rhinestones in pretty much every color that is available.
  • We also carry several different wands used to apply them to your projects!

I want to introduce you to
a beautiful set called
Crystal Dreams
that is perfect to embellish with rhinestones!

Oh, and this set and all the Ace Points section is currently 50% off, so hurry while the embroidery specials last!

Here's the link to our other embroidery specials!

PS If you mention that you read about rhinestones in this blog, AND leave a comment, we will give you 5% off your order of any rhinestone product.


Thursday, April 15, 2010

Need Inspiration! Summer Dress!

I'm dreaming of having enough time to embroider a cute summer dress for my six year old. She just turned six, and I feel kind of guilty, because her dad purchased a simple little dress for her at the department store for her B-Day. I felt guilty, because I saw how simple it was, and also, it didn't fit her exactly right. I don't know if you're like me, but I always look at something and say to myself, "I could make that!!" But guess what? When does a busy homeschooling mom do those fun things anyway?

I've been eyeing the dress on Oma's Place, but I also think it would be fun to combine this adorably cute "Stix Family" set from Designs By JuJu on the lower portion of a dress. It would be cute on a homeschooling book bag also! It's for a 4x4 hoop. My problem is that I'm not all that creative on my own, so without project ideas to get me started, I sit and stare blankly at my embroidery machine :) That's why I really like it when customers send in their project pictures.

We give an invitation every week in the newsletter and it enters you into a drawing to free embroidery designs from our club archives. I know it's very inspirational for others as well. If you have something you've created from embroidery designs , would you take a minute and email them to us at support@oregonpatchworks.com , with a note about who the designer is? We'd love to show off your work! And it could earn you free designs!!

Here are the two sets I've been drooling over today!
It's so hard to pick though, because there are so many new embroidery designs to choose from!!!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention something. If you want access to exclusive free designs that are added weekly, sign up for our "Free Member's Only Club" and we'll send our weekly newsletter to you also! This is a section of the mall we've placed free tutorials, inspirationals and tips as well!

I better scoot out of here....my toddler just came in from playing outside. He's as naked as a jaybird and as dirty as a little piggy in the mud :) Oh, the joys of potty training!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Designers of the Week



We believe in giving you great Embroidery Design specials, and that is one reason that we present 4 new "Designers of the Week" every Friday! Many of these talented artists have free embroidery designs sprinkled throughout their collections for you to try their products out, so don't forget to browse!

Two more days until 4 new designers are featured, so order today before the sales end.

Embroider's Eye is 10 complete sets for only $16.95!!!!!
Janet Sansom and Cecilia's Embroidery are 25% off!!!
Addicted To Stitches is 50% off!!

To know our specials click here

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Art of Embroidered Paper Dolls

As with most embroidery designs, there is no specific right or wrong way to do embroidered paper dolls.

But I have found that some methodologies work better than others.For the doll, I prefer to hoop a medium weight cut away stabilizer. I then cut a very heavy interfacing,such as Peltex, to fit inside the hoop. If you have the ability to run a basting stitch prior to embroidery,you will be assured that the design will not shift. If you cannot baste the design, a temporary spay adhesive designed for embroidery will also work.

For the clothing, I have found that hooping both organza and a tear away/wash away stabilizer (Floriani makes an excellent one) works the best. For the best result, put the stabilizer on top.

Once the doll and clothing are done, cut closely but not into the stitches. I usually tear the stabilizer away,which allows me to cut very closely to the organza. Some people even use a burning tool to melt the last bit if stabilizer.

On some of the outfits, there may be an open space between an arm and the body. I.E. the arm is bent and the hand is on the hip. In cases like these, please do not cut out the space between the body and the arm.

Aileens makes a product, Tack it Over, that works very well to keep the clothing on the dolls. It looks like white glue but dries with a slightly tacky finish. I don’t use a lot, Just enough to keep the clothing on. It can be found at most craft stores.

But the most important suggestion is to remember that we are NEVER too old to enjoy paper dolls.

Sandy
All Granny’s Girls

Friday, March 26, 2010

Tiny Rose Heirlooms


"Tiny Rose Heirlooms" jump into Spring with this dainty set ideal for babies christianing gowns, girls's Easter dresses & much more (10 designs/4x4) & 50% Off designs at this vendor.

Tablecloth Vaselisa






If you're looking for a beautiful challenge, it's here in this lovely set for advanced machine embroidery enthusiasts which combines free-standing-lace, cutwork & regular floral embroidery in one set for extraordinary results (9 designs/6x8).